Wales and the South Coast are the nation’s DIY property sale hotspots

The latest research by tradespeople comparison site, HaMuch.com, has looked at where is home to the highest level of tradesperson demand based on the number of existing properties being bought and sold and in need of further work.

*Existing property sales refers to properties that are not new build

Spring is fast approaching bringing a boost in the number of both residential and commercial property sales and while moving to new property presents its own substantial list of things to do, once the dust has settled the majority of home movers and business owners still have a whole host of DIY jobs that require professional help.

Across England and Wales, there were hundreds of thousands of property sales last year and the vast majority (89%) of these were existing properties, not newly built ones.

For the large part, those moving into a newly built premise will have little need for a professional trade person, however, for those acquiring an existing property there is often work to be done that goes above and beyond your light touch DIY jobs for the weekend.

On a monthly basis, the number of properties sold last year spiked in March and remained high right through until dropping again in November, so the nation’s professional tradespeople will currently be gearing up for the incoming rush of work.

But where is home to the largest number of potential jobs based on the biggest proportion of existing property sales?

Blaenau Gwent in Wales is the biggest trade job hotspot with existing properties accounting for 99.7% of all transactions and newly built properties accounting for just .3%.

Wales seems a safe bet for tradesperson demand with Merthyr Tydfil ranking second with 99.3% of all transactions coming within the existing property space.

Portsmouth ranks third (98.7%), followed by Ceredigion (98.6%), Brighton and Hove (98.2%), Rhondda Cynon Taff (97.7%), Bournemouth (97.7%), Powys (97.4%), Poole (97.2%) and Caerphilly (96.7%).

Founder and CEO of HaMuch.com, Tarquin Purdie, commented:

“Searching for a local tradesperson used to limit you to companies within the immediate area, but technology now allows us to receive instant quotes from much further afield, and with strong competition for work, many tradespeople will travel much longer distances and even work away during the week for a well-paid opportunity.

Whether this is at a commercial or residential property, the best paid opportunities with the more substantial workloads often come via those who have recently acquired a property and have a number of things to remedy before they can call the job done.

With peak season for property buying almost upon us, it would seem the best chance of maximising your workload if you do work in the trades is to up sticks and move to either Wales or the South coast of England, as these are the areas with by far the most existing property sales as a proportion of all transactions.”

Area
Existing properties sold as a % of all transactions (2019)
BLAENAU GWENT
99.7%
MERTHYR TYDFIL
99.3%
PORTSMOUTH
98.7%
CEREDIGION
98.6%
BRIGHTON AND HOVE
98.2%
RHONDDA CYNON TAFF
97.7%
BOURNEMOUTH
97.7%
POWYS
97.4%
POOLE
97.2%
CAERPHILLY
96.7%
SWANSEA
96.57%
NEATH PORT TALBOT
96.52%
DENBIGHSHIRE
96.50%
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
96.38%
YORK
96.37%
PEMBROKESHIRE
95.89%
ISLE OF ANGLESEY
95.79%
SOUTHAMPTON
95.48%
LEICESTER
95.35%
NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE
95.27%

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

NPPF review is a chance to fix planning, build homes, restore wildlife and help SMEs

The latest National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) unveils an ambitious package of reforms designed to speed up the planning process and make smaller sites more viable. This includes trimming environmental regulations and cutting Building Safety Levy on smaller sites, as well as providing more funding to local authorities to process planning applications faster, whilst taking…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Five key tax mistakes made by landlords

By Allison Thompson, National Lettings Managing Director, Leaders Landlord tax is a hugely complicated area, so if you are investing in buy-to-let or renting out any property you own, it’s well worth consulting a specialist property tax adviser. They can help ensure you: a. Own, let, take income and realise gains from your investment in…
Read More
Breaking News

House prices post third consecutive quarter of growth

The latest Property Market Index Review by London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has revealed that the property market continued to demonstrate positive momentum during the third quarter of this year, with house prices increasing for a third consecutive time, although the rate of growth seen did slow considerably when compared to the…
Read More
Breaking News

Estate agent predicts ‘Boxing Day Bonanza’ as property market reignites

A leading estate agent is forecasting a “Boxing Day Bonanza” for home movers. Brendan Kay, Managing Director of Parkers Properties in West Oxfordshire, says that the “market is coiling and about to spring” after months of inertia driven by Budget uncertainty. Brendan, who has offices in Witney and Eynsham, looks after clients in some of…
Read More
Estate Agents should not all look the same
Breaking News

Agent numbers set to grow by 4% in 2026

The latest research from The Property DriveBuy reveals that the number of estate agency businesses in the UK could be set to increase by over 4% in 2026, marking another year of solid expansion for the sector and further increasing the level of market competition. Property DriveBuy analysed available Office for National Statistics data (2017-2025)…
Read More
Breaking News

Rental supply climbs 15% despite landlord uncertainty

The latest research from Dwelly has found that, despite what has been an incredibly uncertain year for landlords – marked by political back and forth over the Renters’ Rights Act, its eventual approval, and the additional 2% tax hit delivered in last week’s Autumn Budget – there are currently 15% more rental homes available to…
Read More